Orioles fans begged for Mike Elias to fix this and ESPN just backed them up

Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias was doing the right things for most of the offseason. He stole the show at the Winter Meetings with the signing of Pete Alonso, and he bolstered the pitching staff with the additions of Shane Baz and Ryan Helsley. Taking gambles on Taylor Ward and Zach Eflin also made sense for Baltimore's roster, but the expectation while all this was happening was that Elias wouldn't lose sight of the team's need for a frontline starting pitcher. That expectation might have turned into a nightmare.

That nightmare reached a fever pitch last week when the Tigers signed Framber Valdez. Valdez was the clear answer for the Orioles' need for a top-of-the-rotation arm, which is why Orioles fans have been left up in arms when talking about the team's offseason.

Orioles fans finally got ESPN to call out Mike Elias for this offseason flaw

There's no doubt that the Orioles are a better team now than they were at the end of the 2025 season, but are they any closer to reaching the postseason?

By definition, an improved roster would mean the answer to that question is yes, but that doesn't mean that a postseason berth is likely. That was the takeaway from ESPN's spring training preview. The Orioles certainly have generated interest with the moves they have made this winter, but if they don't add a frontline starting pitcher, it might not matter.

It's a scary reality for the Orioles, especially with the realization that a frontline starting pitcher may not be available at the moment. There isn't one among the healthy number of veteran free agents still looking for a job, and the Detroit Tigers don't aren't trading Tarik Skubal yet. The same can likely be said about Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins, and Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins.

The holdovers from free agency are starting move. Most teams report to spring training later this week, and Erick Fedde, Nick Martinez, and Chris Paddack all signed deals with other teams on Monday morning.

The Orioles weren't really connected to any of those three pitchers, but the deal could point to Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito, and Chris Bassitt finding new homes soon. Ideally, Baltimore needs to walk away from the offseason with one of those veterans as part of their rotation. If not, the offseason may not be the success it was once looking to be.